Arriving in Costa Rica

It was 12 hours of travel time from Boise, Idaho to San Jose, Costa Rica. So thankful for our 4 wonderful children who upgraded all our tickets to First Class as a 35th anniversary present! This is me in First Class. Don't I look happy?

I'm sure it wasn't as much fun for Hector in his carrying case under the seat with no movie or meals served. Must have affected his personality some because at the Houston layover he was making the rounds at the Gate making friends with everyone. Here you can just see his tail as he disappears around the corner.

We were so glad to see Hannah and Francisco as we left the airport! They'd booked rooms at Hotel Irazu which is a great place to stay. They like it because it can include a free car rental when you book the room. We spent some time relaxing around the pool the next day before taking off for Monteverde.

Hannah and Francisco had bought a car for us just a few days previously. Makes it much easier to get around. This is it and it gets great mileage.

We decided to come back and spend time exploring San Jose when we didn't have a car full of luggage so headed to our new place in Monteverde. Here's a map. We drove from A to B.

Lots of interesting sights along the way. And yes, they have McDonalds in Costa Rica! Is there a spot in the world that doesn't? We stopped when we reached the Pacific Ocean at Puntarenas.

Fisherman were busy bringing in their catch while some families were having picnics nearby. The shrimp looked fantastic and Francisco made a deal to buy some for our dinner.

 Then it was on to Monteverde. The pavement ends about 25 miles outside of town which makes for a rugged ride. Here we met a young boy driving cattle down the road. The countryside was beautiful. The rainy season is coming to an end which makes for some great rainbows.

 As we turned onto the lane into our new home, we saw some tourists staring up into a tree. They'd spotted a sloth sleeping there! I'm sure that's a good omen!